Shifting Sands
by GreyEyedKunoichi
Summary: A blood pact made and forgotten, now the next generation has to pick up where they left off. This story chronicles the return of the children of the legendary three. The challenges they must face. The obstacles they must over come and the love they will find, in themselves, in their friends, in their family and in each other. Read the first in The Elements series. Chaps 1-8 up.
1. 開始 : Kaishi - Beginning

This is my disclaimer for Inuyasha, Bleach, Naruto and Yu Yu Hakusho if I use it.. I don't own any of these stories (Sad face). If I did, I wouldn't be here wiring fan fics. I'd be out in the world some where living it up. Ah, my characters pale in comparison. *Hides in corner with dark cloud* Enjoy the story!

Okay So I'll try to tie the events together as cleanly as I can .The only issue I'm Having is not having a beta so if anyone comes up with an idea they would like in the story then I would appreciate it if they sent me a message about it. Further more this is a revised version of my old and now deleted story "Twists and Turns: Three Siblings." I felt it was time to redo the story instead of just adding crap to something that no one was reading. So without further ado, here is the first chaper of my long fogoten story.

* * *

Her black hair whipped in the wind as she looked out over the grassy expanse of her home. Every once in a while her brown eyes lit upon a new feature in the woodland. A tree split by the unforgiving force of lightning, a cave that had been closed off to the world due to a rock slide, a badger hole that her neighbors' stray cattle could step in and sue because it happened on her parents' property.

'_Darn, that's not good. I think I might actually have to go fill that hole in.' _the thought came unbidden and she never had any shame in being partially "lazy".

The only reason she shirked the responsibilities set to her by her adoptive family was that she was different. She was stronger than most of the boys in her grade and she real had no clue why her eyes did a color jump every other week. Green, blue, sea foam green, gold, violet, chocolate brown and black. In one month her eyes were almost never the same color twice in one week. And to top it off she swore up and down that she had fangs but her mother had laughed and her father had shook his head and said "_Well, little one, there is a reason we named you Tama. To every Native American an animal guide is assigned. To you, my little blossom, it was the wolf, the tama. You are very luck to be guided by the spirit of the pack."_

She was able to hear things far off on the mountains where tourists loved to camp. She could see the boat out on the horizon making its way home with its weary travelers. She could smell her mother cooking even when she was a three hour walk from their abode. She craved what no sane human should crave. She ran at speeds greater even than most cars. She healed in seconds. Yet her parents refused to believe she was different. That she might no be all together human.

She worked quickly, efficiently, every once in a while glancing at the position of the sun out of the corned of her eye. Once she was finished she stood straight and tall and once again looked around trying to memorize the lay of the land for this would be her last glimpse of it for a very long time.

As she turn to go a single tear slid down her face and plopped to the ground to be soaked up only for a small rose bush to immediately sprout. Every rose on the bush a different color. Green, blue, sea foam green, gold, violet, chocolate brown, and black.

Hopefully she would travel Home soon to see if Her labor were worth it. Her first stop was a school in England then she was going back to Japan after graduation. She'd always wanted to see what the shrines there were like.

_..._

Let me clear up the fact that Tama is only about eleven here but her brain functions and processing are different from other humans.

I'll tie the school in England, *cough* Hogwarts*cough* in the second or third story.

Ja~

Ashe


	2. カゴメ Kagome

Disclaimer: The Inuyasha story as well as the Naruto story line is not mine. The Change in the wind characters are mine from my own Original story and I hope I will be able to get it published, just not yet cuz I'm only 17.

Chapter Two: Remember, part 1

Kagome stood on the platform a frown marring her porcelain features. It just wasn't fair that _she _had to come pick up the foreigner. It was her only day away from Inuyasha and she was supposed to be at home enjoying it _not _here being a tour guide for a stupid American. (A/N: I am an American citizen and proud of it)

She sighed then bent down to rub her sore leg, deciding that she might want to sit down. When she was settled she put the sign in the chair next to her and closed her eyes to begin her musing.

So far they only had one or two more shards to find and with Naraku out of the picture it should be easy. As long as no unexpected complications arise they would do fine. Then there was the problem of how the jewel would react when she made the wish. Would she be trapped one side of the well or another or would she still be able to travel between worlds? The Inu tachi also had to figure out what the newest power source in the Sengoku Jidai was.

It had cropped up a few days after Naraku had fallen. At first it was a small almost unnoticeable niggling in the back of her mind but now it was a giant leach stuck on her arm and it was multiplying. There was only one in the beginning but now there were about a hundred of the things. It was daunting to think that Naraku could have left a source to keep his reign of evil going but at the same time she knew that these beings where _not_ evil in any way shape or form.

Yes they seemed to be beings in control of youki but at the same time the power they wielded seemed to be almost…. Pure. It was almost as if they where a new type of demon that was actually in control of all aspects of their being and they could do no harm to anyone. And yet even she knew that those with power could be the most deceiving. Even good could be turned to the use of an evil being. Kagome shuddered thinking of the way the Dark Priestess had manipulated her through the jewel shards.

She was snapped out her thoughts by a tap on her shoulder accompanied by a burst of the very power she had been musing over. The gentle feeling that washed over her helped her to relax and take in her surroundings. _Girl sitting next to me, woman hugging lover, boy laughing with comrades, little kid waiting for his sibling, girl sitting next to me laughing now. What the heck could have caused that power surge? Wait could it have been her? She is just sitting there staring at me, laughing … her... butt… omg how could I have not noticed it?_

Kagome blushed as she finally turned and faced the American girl sitting where her sign had been a few minutes ago, a blush staining her cheeks from embarrassment. As the girl caught sight of her state she laughed even harder and Kagome took this time to study her closely. She had hair that was down to her shoulder blades and was slightly unruly. Her eyes looked to have changed colors with her laughter. When Kagome had first glanced at her she could have sworn her eyes were green now they were the same shade as Mirokus.

Her skin was not a light shade in fact it looked as if she was of Latino descent or Native American. Her facial structure was not one you would see every day. High aristocratic cheek bones, soft plump lips. Exotic eyes, a small defined nose and eyebrows that looked as if they'd never been plucked, they were so naturally shaped.

"Hajimemashite watashi wa Black Tama. Onemae wa?" The girl said once her laughter was under control.

"Hajimemashite watashi wa Higurashi Kagome." Kagome responded, standing up to bow.

"Dozo yoroshiku Higurashi-san." Tama said, following suit.

"The same to you Black-san." Kagome said with a smile.

"Oh please call me Tama." The girl protested.

"Only if you call me Kagome." Kagome laughed.

"Okay. Well it looks as though it might rain shall we get going?" The dark skinned young woman asked, taking a hold of one of her suit cases.

"Yea I guess we should seeing as to how by the time we get to the shrine it'll be late and you must already be tired." Kagome said taking a hold of the other two as Tama slung her three shoulder bags over her back. As they walked toward the car Kagome couldn't help but to wonder why her parents had named her Tama since it meant jewel.

" It's is because my name means many things in many languages but the one that holds true is the Native American meaning. In the language of my parents' people it means wolf or okami in your language." Tama responded as thought Kagome had spoken about her aloud.

"How did you …" Kagome stuttered when they reached the car, "How did you hear that? I didn't even say it out loud!"

"Oh you did? Sorry then but you would have asked eventually and your question was plastered all over your face." Tama responded after putting all her bags in the trunk.

'_This just might give me a reason to stay at home longer.' _And with that she pulled off from the curb and out onto the highway, headed toward her home. Both girls were left to their thoughts, blissfully unaware of what lay ahead of them.

K&S~*~T&T~*~S&I

They arrived at the bottom of the stair leading up to the shrine two hours later. Shutting off the car, Kagome threw Tama a skeptical glance. Tama only glanced at the stairs then looked back toward Kagome with a grin and a shrug. Kagome shook her head then popped the trunk to get the baggage out. Tama met her behind the vehicle and was already throwing the fourth bag over her shoulder when Kagome snatched it out of her hands then spun on heel and began jogging up the stairs just to see if the girl behind her could keep up.

Making it to the top she looked back to see if Tama was having any trouble. Tama however was already at the top and hadn't even begun to breathe hard. In fact the girl hadn't broken a sweat.

'That in itself is strange. I bet it has something to do with her little secret.' Kagome thought to her self as she headed toward the house with her guest right behind her.

"Just wait here." She said simply as soon as they were standing in the hall leading into the living room. When she slid the door open she saw Tama's eyes widen as she stared at the picture hung on the wall. It was of Kagome as a child hugging her best friend. The girls in the photo were two completely different beings. One looked to be a half Japanese child with tan skin and long bright red hair, and the other was a dark haired light skinned girl who was clearly all Japanese. Kagome now chocolate eyes while the girl in the picture had eyes almost as gold as the Inu yokai brothers. Her friend had eyes so grey you could almost see the storm brewing beneath the surface.

They had stuck together until So- Chan had moved away when they were only four. So-Chan had been in the child services and was adopted into an American family. After the Adoption was finalized she was renamed and moved to the U.S.

'God how much I miss those days.' Kagome thought to herself before she noticed that Tama was still staring at the picture with tears in her eyes.

Kagome had just turned to say something to her when Tama said something that made Kagome break down crying.

"That was the Dad your dad told you that your mom was going to have a baby. You were so happy you ran to grab the camera and said you wanted to remember it forever." Tama smiled at Kagome, tears flowing strong now, "Well it hasn't been forever but I still remember."

* * *

I'm serious. I need a beta. :(

Ja~

Ashe


	3. 旅行 : Ryokō - Travel Part 1

** Read, review, and enjoy. ;)**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FB~~~~~~~~~~~~ - flash back

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~EFB~~~~~~~~~~~ - end flash back**  
**

**_"Hollow Speaking"_**

_"Writing"_

_**Voices in ones head**_

_'Thoughts in ones head'_

K&S*T&T*S&I

**Pull Part 1. Karakura**

Tama woke up the next day not believing that any of the event that had happened were real. She remembered telling Kagome that she remembered their childhood. She had also explained that she had died her hair because she stuck out like a sore thumb. When Souta had come home with the rest of the family she had squealed and announced that he was cuter in real life and that she couldn't have come close to imagining how handsome he was. Souta had blushed a nice shade of red that matched her hair as a child and Naomi, Mrs. Higurashi, had smiled and said it looked like Souta had his first 'Adult' crush. Tama had been confused for all of five seconds before Naomi had welcomed her back to Japan. Ojii-San had told them legends, and while Kagome had begged him to stop he had only stated that one legend was more captivating then most.

He told the legend of a people who rose up to fight against an evil so horrid, they threatened the safety of humanity. They used the power of Demons to harm many. These people had extraordinary gifts that they used in the fight. Some controlled water or plant life others could call down lightning or used he wind to do as they pleased and still more used earth and fire to protect those they ojii -san told of a legend these people, these shinobi or ninja, had.

"The legacy of the sannin was stolen three days after the slug apprentices birthday and exactly sixteen years later it will be returned.

The wind of our leader to heal us, the earth of the warrior to shield us, and the lightning of our ally to protect us.

These three will rise once again when the black flames burst into life on that day sixteen years later."

He had gone on to explain that the prophecy was incomplete and no one would ever know whether it was fulfilled or not.

'Chills' she thought rolling of to look at the clock, which read exactly 9:14am. "Shit! I'm gonna be late!" she shouted in English, before bolting off to get ready.

When she sat down in the kitchen ten minutes later Higurashi- san sat a plate in front of her and told her Kagome might not be home for a while. Tama had only shrugged and ate as much as she could standing and telling Naomi that she would be back later. She didn't specify but she did tell her that a friend of hers had a cousin in a town outside of Tokyo.

Now here she stood on a train going to a small city in another part of Japan. She had heard of it from Luis, whose cousin lived there, but she had never been there herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~FB~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sado is really cool. Very laid back, Senorita. And he is big, moy grande, I think he might even beat you in a fight, hell cat." Luis had grinned when he spoke to her as they walked home.

He was a good guy even though he was in trouble with the law a lot. In fact if a cop called for backup and said that Luis Marin was the trouble maker this time they would laugh and say to just open the backseat and he'd go willingly. She remembered one time when he had called her to get his brother to bail him out, he had been sitting with the cops cracking jokes and eating donuts, instead of in a cell where he should have been, when they arrived to get him.

"I doubt that, Luis, I really doubt that." She had all but shook her multicolored hair. The red and black going well with the crowd she hung out with when not in school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~EFB~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tama was snapped out of her thoughts when the train jolted to a stop. Sighing she shook her ever unruly hair back into place, and noticing a few dark red strands made a note to redye it, before stepping off the train.

At first glance she didn't notice the young man standing there waiting, but after a recheck and a glance at the photo she had been given she walked up to him and did a double take. Her only thought as she stood there looking up and the young man was, 'Oh my god! He _is_ big.'

It was at that point that the giant, err, teen aged boy, noticed her and turned and stuck out his hand. He had been told of American customs from his trouble making cousin and had wanted to try them out.

Taking his hand she smiled up at his stoic expression and when he let go she still did the traditional bow and he responded.

"So you are the infamous Yasutora, no?"She asked as her smiled became a shit eating grin, her head cocked to the side.

"Yea. Friends call me Chad." Was his short reply.

"Funny Luis didn't mention that."

He only shrugged and said, "Ichigo."

'Wth? Wtf's he talking about strawberries for?' She thought her brows scrunched together as she followed him out of the building. They walked a few blocks in silence, neither one knowing what to say, that is until a thought popped into her head.

"Hey, have you ever been to America?" she asked.

"No, but my grandfather lived in America before moving here. Luis is half Japanese. He just doesn't tell anyone." Chad said without looking at that they didn't speak again until they reached a small park. They sat on the swing and began to talk again, well it was actually her asking questions and him nodding, shrugging or shaking his head no. Just as she was reaching the end of her _"oh so abundant_" patience he stood up, said stay and ran off.

"I am not a dog! My name might seem like it, but that doesn't give anyone the right to say stay as if I was trained to obey!" she shouted to the heavens.

A tingling sensation cut off her rant and made her freeze on the spot. the power was so suffocating it had her choking on her own breath, no scratch that she officially couldn't breath. 'KUSO!'

**_"YOU LOOK SO DELICIOUS! I BET YOU TASTE AS GOOD AS YOU LOOK."_** A voice rent the air.

Spinning in circles she realized she couldn't see the source. Seeing that she couldn't run without knowing the direction the thing was in she closed her eyes and relaxed, willing her senses to help her out.

_**"OH SO YOU CAN HEAR ME BUT YOU CAN'T SEE ME? THIS IS AN AMAZING FEAT FOR A HUMAN! MAYBE I SHOULD EAT YOU BEFORE YOU SPOT ME! BUT I WANT TO PLAY WITH YOU FIRST!"**_ The evil pouring off the invisible being amplified as did the feeling of her chest being crushed.

'Come on, come on, come on, just a little more. got it.' she thought

The thing swung at her and she side steeped into thin air. Keeping her eyes closed she relied on her sense of hearing to dodge. It had said it wanted to play, so a game was what it was gonna get . It swung again and again she side stepped. Slowly but surely a grin spread across her face as she pulled out her iPod mid-step and popped the buds into her ears and turned it on. It didn't matter what song was playing as long as her game of tag had some tunes. Bring me to life came on and she laughed. As she pocketed the player the monster hit her with all the force of an Amtrak train.

Lying there with her eyes still screwed shut she felt another power source slip onto her playing field. Keeping her eye lids locked together she hissed as she stood up, energy spiking around her for a split second.

"Get out of here." A very male voice said.

When she opened her mouth to speak her voice came out in a more husky tone.

"Back down." she said without opening her eyes to see the boy, or man or what ever he was.

"You should not be here."

"I said back down." She half growled half shouted as her eyes snapped open. They had gone from light grey to swirling blood red with three tomoe spinning madly in circles. She did a coursery glance of her battle. A boy, no older than maybe thirteen, stood there in white and black robes. Chad was off to the side battling this giant thing. An orange haired teen was hacking away at more than one of the monsters as was a red headed woman, a red haired man, and a black haired girl. Further back there was an orange haired girl using an energy barrier to back up a black haired boy with a bow and energy arrows.

It was too much. She was hurting, although it was healing fast, tired, hungry and now pissed off at the cat like THING that had used her as a soccer ball.

Another monstrous scream rent the air. This time it came from her.

~~~~~~~~~~00000000000000~~~~~~~~~~

Chad froze mid swing, as did everyone else on the field, and turned toward the spot he had left Tama sitting. What he saw was not what he was expecting. It was Tama, the cool laid back girl he had been with since she got off the train, only now she was murderous. The girl standing in front of him wasn't calm, cool, collected, or black haired. Standing in front of the captain of the jyuubantai no taicho was a warrior goddess, her red hair moving in an ethereal wind. When she spoke it was a sound that was ethereal.

"There are eight people present." She stated coldly. "I am giving you a chance to turn away now. Pick another opponent. Who do you chose?"

**_"HAHAHA YOU REALLY THINK I AM SCARED OF A GIRL CHILD? I AM NOT GOING TO PLAY WITH ANYONE BUT YOU. I WILL BREAK YOU SO MUCH YOU WILL SURRENDER YOUR SOUL WILLINGLY!"_** The thing roared, charging at her.

"As you wish," she stated. Turning her iPod up louder and blocking out all other sounds she waited for it to reach her.

~~~~~~~~000000000000~~~~~~~~

Squad Ten Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro couldn't believe what he was seeing. One moment the girl had been standing behind him and the next she had just appeared in front of him. It was almost like seeing an apparition. She had seemed to fade into existence in a burst of power so strong it would have swept a lower level shinigami off their feet. From the looks of things even Matsumoto fuku- taicho was having trouble in it. Ichigo seemed to be the only one who wasn't affected by the strong energy swirling around the girl as she stood there. He was so absorbed in his reveries that he missed what the two beings in front of him had said. He did however catch her response.

He watched frozen as the girl pushed a button on the device she had just pulled out of her jeans pocket. Just as she pocked the music player the hollow reached her and she disappeared only to reappear in the air falling toward her opponent fast. When she reached the being she went right through it. The scream that tore through the air was horrible and told of the monster being in great pain. She then flashed out of existence again and appeared behind it. Unbelievably she grabbed the hollow by it's tail and began to try spinning in a circle. At first the movement didn't do anything because it had dug it's claws in the cement below it, then with a roar from the young woman the hollow was flying through the air, her hand still holding onto its tail. When she released it, it flew up into the air and she stood there staring, the black dots in her eyes seemingly disappearing then reappearing and coming to a stop. She grinned and shouted one word that set chills up the present companies spines.

"Beg."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~000000000000000000~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tama felt powerful, almost as if she could fight all day, but she knew she had to end it soon because she was feeling the strain it put on her body. As a natural fighter she knew what her limits where and hers was fast approaching. With a few chuckles at the creature she inhaled and said "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu." She had no idea where she knew this attack from but it helped her.

A giant fireball appeared, (A/N:Duh as if the name wasn't hint enough 'Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique'.), hitting the hollow in the face and obliterating it. When she stopped and turned to say something to the white haired teen behind her she began to cough instead. The last thing she saw was his electric blue eyes looking at her amazed, pissed, and very worried. Then everything went black.

An: I was going to stop here but for all your waiting you deserve more. ;)

K&S*T&T*S&I

"Can you feel her?" A deep male voice filtered through the shadows.

"No she seems to be out of range." A feminine voice responded."That or she is unconscious."

The male stepped out of the shadows his shoulder length black hair tied back. He surveyed the park they were in. It looked to have been fought in a while ago. It had been cleaned but the signs where still there. The cracks in the cements, a few broken branches lying around and rotting from weeks of going unnoticed, and the energy residue. Then he picked out a familiar trace he froze. "Shit!" he swore.

"Hush, what would mama say if she heard you?" The girl said stepping out of the shadows to stand next to the much taller male. Her black hair hanging lose down her back and swaying with every step.

"What would mama say if she knew we've been sneaking out every night for the past three weeks. Or that we're scouring all over Japan looking for a girl who obviously doesn't want to come home?" The boy responded.

"No, you're wrong, otoutou, she does want to she just can't without us." The girl said.

"I hope you're right Kazuya." the boy said.

"I know I am, Toru, I just know I am" Kazuya turned and disappeared into the shadows once again.

Toru turned to follow her but looked back at the sign at the entrance of the park, "Please, Hisouka Nee-san, be safe." and with that he turned and left Karakura park undisturbed.

* * *

'Damn, what sort of train hit me? The Shinkansen?' It really was unpleasant to wake up and find that you felt like shit on a stick. She cracked opened her eyes and the sun stung them. when she tried to cuss at the window she found she couldn't speak, in fact the small noise she did make hurt her throat.

"I'm guessing from he look on your face you just discovered that you can't speak." A man said from next to her. Here eyes shot open and she sat up so fast he took a step back. "First off let me say that I am glad you are up, the next thing I will say is that you shouldn't try to speak. All the screaming you did in the accident caused you to lose your voice."

Now that she looked at him she realized he was a doctor. He stood about five ten and wore a lab coat over regular civilian clothing. It wasn't until she had given him the once over that what he said really registered. Her eyes narrowed and she made all the motions of snarling without the added, and intimidating, bonus of sound.

"Feisty, I like you. Thank god Ichigo had Chad bring you in when you fell. I can't believe that those boys have been sitting by your for almost two and a half weeks." The man said. "So would you like something to write with?" Tama could only nod, still not believing what he had told her about being asleep for that long.

"Alrighty then. Ichigo! Bring me some paper and something to write with!" He shouted causing her to flinch at the volume.

"What the hell, old man! Get your own damn paper!" Another very male voice shouted back.

"It's not for me, son. It's for our guest." The man replied. " By the way my name is Kurosaki Isshin, and the idiot bringing you some paper is Ichigo, my son." He grinned as a boy she recognized came through the door and handed him a stack of paper. Ichigo seemed to realized she knew who he was and turned to his dad and said that someone name Takada was looking for him, her daughter was sick again.

_So what happened with the rest of your friends? Are they okay?_

"Yea, they're fine." he grumbled.

She ended up giving him a once over and she tried, really she did, but as she realized how dark his attitude was compared to the way he looked she began to silently snicker. His orange hair made his attitude comedic, as did his fair complexion and warm brown eyes.

_Oh my god! I am so sorry but i couldn't help it. You see your attitude contradicts your looks._

He only grunted in response and stood up to leave. "I'll be back later. I have to get to school."

Now that she looked she realized he was taller than his father and was dressed in a school uniform. Nodding she waved him off and as she left He sighed. and stood up to get dressed in her clothing. When she finished getting ready she snuck out of the clinic/house and made her way toward the train station. As soon as she got to the park on the way she stopped and checked her wallet to make sure everything was there. It was then that she noticed the hospital bad on her wrist. 'Oh well. It'll explain my disappearance.'

When she got to the front of the line in the station she showed her old ticket and then showed them her wrist band. The woman felt sorry for her and called her manager. The manager, an older gentle man, took pity on her and told her she could travel to the station near the Higurashi shrine.

Exactly two hours later she left the station praying that the Kurosaki's didn't take it personally that she had done an impromptu self checked out.

When she opened the door to the house she voices flowing from the kitchen. As she approached she had to stifle a laugh. Inside was the whole Higurashi family and a boy called Inuyasha. They were talking about searching for her. it was funny really if you stopped to think about it.

The one person everyone was looking for standing there eaves dropping on a conversation about themself. Opening the door she peeked in to see that everyone had their backs to her. quickly writing out a note she balled it up and threw in onto the table in front of them. Souta was the one to pick it up and he dropped it and turned around and went pale when he spotted her then launched himself at her. Kagome did the same as Inuyasha looked on from the his spot. Naomi came over and placed her hand on Tamas shoulder and Gramps patted her on the back.

Now was the time for reunions not for questions. They could come later, but Tama couldn't help but wonder at the pull she felt when she passed by the old well house.

~~~~~~~~~~~0000000000000~~~~~~~~~~

_Konnichiwa watashi wa Black Tama desu. Dozo youroshiku minna san, arigato. I hope I haven't lead you on a wild goose chase. Sorry everyone. _

_- Tama_

_P.S. Turn around._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0000000000000~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks was all it had taken for her to end up back in the Sengoku Jidai. Kagome had been the first to realize that the guest in her house couldn't speak and subsequently Souta had begun to act out towards the girls. At first they had shrugged it off but eventually Kagome had confronted him, his only response to turn and walk away with a bit of an undeveloped sneer. She knew that look very well as it was the very same one Tama used quite a lot when it came to situations she didn't like. Kagome had pushed it off as him developing another case of idol worship over the girl after he'd seen her practicing her martial arts in the yard by the tree of ages. After she'd gotten home she'd been introduced to Inuyasha who shrugged it off and told Kagome she would see him soon. He'd left for two weeks after that.

After helping Tama develop an easier form of sign language that was interpretable by those who didn't even know what the hand gestures meant, Inuyasha had shown up. He'd been practically chomping at the bit to get her to go back with them. He'd only said that the remainder of their rag tag group, the ones who hadn't perished when the final battle had come, were getting worried and he'd said he'd come find out why she'd taken almost two whole moon cycles to get back there.

Kagome was honestly surprised that he'd actually let her stay for so long. Since there wasn't really any threat to the continued shard hunt she figured that he was just being more lax this time then the last.

Quickly packing her things she had told the occupants of the house goodbye and explained in short where she was going to Tama. The girl had only shrugged and made a shooing motion with her hand, as though she'd heard weirder things than time traveling mikos. Maybe she had, they'd never know until she told them. Soon after she had swung her self over the edge of the well and dropped into the blue light that signaled she was on her way back in time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0000000000~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She couldn't breath. That was her only thought as the world spun into focus. Hissing she spun on heel and reached for another arrow, ignoring her screaming lungs. With a start Kagome realized she was out of them and decided this was bad. It wasn't that she hadn't eventually took up short ranged fighting skills, Kami knew she needed them. It was the fact that that this particular demon wouldn't let her get in lose enough to slice it up like a turkey.

Thinking on her feet as the demon turned to face her she analyzed it's week points. Noting the way it left itself open on it's right side she grimaced a she inhaled a tiny bit to get air into her lungs. She had to do this quickly before she passed out.

As the demon charged she quickly leapt to the side to avoid being bitten by the now rampaging fox. She had been on her way back from the hot springs, her sense of direction being what it was and causing her to get lost. She had been cursing cities and their misleading blocks when the giant red six tail had come out of the forest, charging at her. She hadn't been able to tell what was wrong with the poor creature. All she knew was that the kitsune race were usually kind to those who didn't mess with them, their prankster nature over riding any vicious thoughts that would be in the heads of normal low level demons.

The only thing that would make a beast like this go crazy, as it was showing now, was if a kit female was in the area and she had disturbed it's mating ritual. Reacting quickly she had begun shooting arrows towards the crazed demon off. This had only served to upset it and cause it to wait out her attacks. This had lead to her current situation.

Thinking fast she sighed as she saw no other option but to draw the short sword at her waist. As the demon turned she began to try to channel her ki into the blade. When he charged in for another attempt at her head she swiped the weapon across his side, causing the demon to spin and snap at the threat, his flesh burning.

The demon successfully clamped his jaws around her arm, not quite crushing it, but biting down just enough to fling her across the clearing and into a tree. Feeling her back slam into the bark she stood quickly, knowing her arm was dislocated, and waited for the beast to charge her again. Feeling her arm going nub and old from blood loss she decided to just end this.

Without any pretense she swung her charged weapon upward, jamming it up through the kitsunes jaw and into his brain. Feeling his blood mixing with hers and his brain fluids drip onto her injured arm she shuddered and the beast tuned to ash.

Exhaling painfully she sheathed her weapon after cleaning it and quickly took note of her injuries. realizing she was loosing blood fast she tried to make her way over to her fallen bow. After a few steps she felt her body give out and as she laid there she realized that she felt a bit colder than before. As he darkness began to creep in she noticed a figure moving towards her, their graceful movements hiding just how dangerous this being was.

Her last thoughts before she drifted off were muddled but one stuck out like a sore thumb.

_'Well I just might die after all.'_

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When she woke up she realized the light seemed brighter than it had before. Sitting up she wondered at the fact the something had seemed to change since she'd been asleep. Taking in her surroundings she realized that she wasn't in the clearing anymore. Moving as fast as she could she exited he room she was in, her arm throbbing and her head breaking out into a full blown sweat.

Upon seeing a miko in the entrance area she smiled.

"Ohayo Miko-san." She said brightly. Said miko turned quickly and smiled, this gesture quickly fading into a frown as she realized that her patient was up and moving around after the events of the night before.

"You shouldn't be up." The woman stated plainly, "You'll cause yourself to bleed like that." She shook he head standing to help Kagome sit down by the fire pit. "It's good to see you so energetic so soon after you acquired such injuries. Might I ask your name?" The middle aged woman asked, her head coked to the side, reminding Kagome of her friend back home.

"It's rude to ask others without introducing yourself first." Kagome raised an eye brow and smiled slightly. In the years she had been traveling with Inuyasha she had learned tactful ways to avoid the bowing and groveling that came with her name being announced to strangers.

"I am Kiyoko. I am sorry fr the rudeness." She had the grace to look contrite due to Kagomes response."I was just wondering what sort of woman is brought in by a demon." Here she looked away with a blush, her face marred by a tiny scowl. Then and there Kagome decided it didn't look right on Kyokos face, he laugh lines were too deep for it to do anything but disfigure her features.

"I'm Kagome." She shrugged,"I don't know what you mean by demons since the only demons I travel with are the ones I got separated from. That's what lead up to this whole thing." She motioned to her right arm and grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I am now even more confused." Kyoko said and smiled back,"A very tall, very regal, white clothed demon brought you by late last evening. He said only for me to tend you wounds and not much else." She told Kagome. "He also said that he would return later to check on your progress and should I find anything off about you to inform him upon his arrival." Here she raised a brow," The only thing I found wrong besides your injuries was the fact that you seem to have traces of youki running through your system. How does a miko accomplish that, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Youki? You're not serious right?" Kagome looked skeptical, "I'm almost positive that my powers would purify any sort of taint." She shook her head and gained a far off look in her eyes as she said this.

_**Not if the taint has been there since you're conception.**_ A voice whispered into her head causing her to start.

'Who are you?' She asked looking at Kyoko to see if she noticed anything off.

_**I am you. Just... more so.**_ By this point Kagome figured she was frowning or she was pale. Excusing herself quickly she told Kyoko that she was going to take a nap. When the older woman nodded she made her way to the room and the bed roll on the floor. Sitting quickly she fell into a meditative pose, one that she would not jostle her arm with should she start.

Falling into her mind she saw nothing but black as she looked around, that is until a sort of meadow seemed to form. Standing there she surveyed her surroundings. Kagome hadn't know she could do something like this.

"You can't" The annoying voice spoke up and startled her. Whipping around as fast as she could, she took note that her arm didn't hurt here. The being behind her was blonde. Her eyes a starting shade of bright blue that was more purple than blue. That wasn't the only thing that she noticed. Kagome noticed that the person standing there looked just like her.

"Who are you?" She repeated her earlier question.

"I am You. I am Higurashi Kagome with the added bonus of being myself." Here she gave a delicate shrug then walked towards Kagome. As she got closer Kagome noticed slight differences. Her eyes seemed to flicker from blue to red every now and then. It was almost as though she was over laid with another image.

"What do you want with me?" Kagome asked. "Why are you in my head?" The girl never stopped her movements as she grinned, her high blonde pig tails swaying with each step.

Crying out in pain for the second time in less than twenty four hours, Kagome felt herself slipping into the darkness. Her mind slowly becoming foggy and the landscape disappearing. Before the darkness swallowed her she couldn't help but wonder at the odd tugging sensation she got below her navel or the urge to get t the well as soon as possible.

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Read, Review and props to anyone reading this!

- Ashe


	4. 旅行 : Ryokō - Travel Part 2

Yeah I've decided To continue doing this for as long as I can without getting bored fast. If I don't get it out now I'll just loose interest. Hehe. Thanks to those of you who've read this and decided it's worth your time.:)

Also I'll try to go back asap and correct any spelling mistakes I've made as I noticed that I make quite a lot without my glasses.

On another note I was kinda having too much fun last night so my spelling might be a bit off. Stupid hangover!

On with the show!

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Souta couldn't believe it, this was too much for him. He was a bit saddened by this turn of events and that was what had lead him to sit in the park and sulk, all the while thinking over the situation.

Hitomi had just told him she was moving away. This wouldn't have been so bad if she was staying in Japan, but her father was accepted to a new job in Germany and now she was going to have to follow him there. She'd told Souta that it wasn't so bad and that they could still write letters and stuff, but he'd told her that he couldn't keep talking to her if she wasn't going to be there.

He told her that he'd stay her friend and everything but they had to move on. He refused to hold her back when she could make more friends there without worrying what her boyfriend in japan was thinking. He'd promptly hugged her once more and turned to walk away.

He'd had to keep telling himself that he wasn't 8 anymore and that she was just a crush. At 11 he now had a little more of an insight as to the world, the stories told by his family helping him to think about things that most 11 year olds didn't care for.

Being the top student in his percentile, he had to think about things more than most. The tasks he had to do as the class representatives weren't bad since he was still in elementary, but he still prided himself in knowing things the others didn't. Souta wasn't a snob per say, in fact he went out of his way to help others, but he did bury himself in his school work to get away from the fact that he wasn't old enough to go with Kagome.

He'd begun training to take over the shrine but that really wasn't what he wanted to do. He wanted to travel with his sister and see what she saw. He wanted to be older and o with Inuyasha on journeys and meet the small fox kit she always told him about.

He felt old, not physically but all the stress and the knowledge of things that he shouldn't know. Sighing he ran his hand over his face and thought about what he'd said to her and the reasons.

It wasn't that he'd been trying to push Hitomi away but the fact that since the arrival to his house guest he'd been sleeping less and less at night. He'd been having odd dreams. Things no 11 year old should know really. He saw a beautiful brown haired woman in his visions and he saw her fighting. He saw that same woman die as he held her. He remembered looking into a puddle of water and seeing his reflection, the person looking back wasn't him.

The nightmares had been plaguing him every night and every time he closed his eyes. He had been losing his appetite slowly but surely. He was getting dark circles under his eyes and fighting not to fall asleep doing every day tasks. He was still fighting to stay at the top of his class. He'd been hiding his condition from his mother and grandfather so he wouldn't worry them and since Tama couldn't speak anyway he didn't fear her writing a note to tel them about what he was doing.

He was spenging more time giving them the cold shoulder now than he had before. It had startled Kagome at first but he'd shrugged it off as him having to be strong so she wouldn't worry about him and continue doing what she had to in order to put the jewel back together.

Sitting there on the swing he shivered, the wind biting into him and chilling him to the bone.

"When it all falls apart," He murmured to the silent park. "Wish I was older. Not that I feel it, just that I want to look it." Frowning at the ground below him, he listened to the sounds of the city around him. He heard he honking f horns and the bells on bikes. He could hear the occasional shout but that didn't matter t him. He wanted peace.

Standing up he picked up his book bag and began to make his way out of the play place not noticing the teenager who ran into the park just in time to see his back.

"You have a wish to grow stronger, now you will live as you've always been meant to live." The black haired girl said with a smile at the boys back.

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The next day found the youngest Higurashi standing in his room, staring into a mirror. He'd been hiding there all day from the moment he'd woken up and realized something was off. At first he'd ignored that nagging feeling in his gut that told him something was wrong, sitting up and stretching in bed. Rolling his shoulder, he'd thrown his covers off and stood, popping his back and neck in the process.

Walking to his close he'd grabbed a t shirt that had been his late fathers, one his mother hadn't known he'd taken just to see if it still smelled like him. Walking over to is dresser he'd grabbed a pair of pants and began to put them on. That was when he noticed that they didn't go up all the way. Frowning he'd tried to put on another pair with the same results. Eyes narrowed he'd walked over and slid on the shirt. When it was on he'd realized that it wasn't the same as before.

Where before it was loose and baggy, now it was tight on his chest and arms. Practically growling he'd walked over to his mirror and looked at his reflection. When he saw it he'd frozen in place, a strangled sound coming from his throat.

There in front of him wasn't a small eleven year old but a tall, well built teenager. The person there didn't look like him either. Instead of dark brown eyes, the person had deep green eyes that seemed to shift to an almost black color in dispare. His back hair had been changed to a deep silver, bordering on grey. With a shiver he took note that this boy wasn't the one he associated with himself and reached up to tug at the almost colorless locks. Feeling the pain from it he knew immediately that he wasn't dreaming.

Biting his lower lip he turned on heel and quickly made his way to his closet and yanked down a bax with some mor of his fathers clothing. Grabbing a pair of pants he slid them on finding them a tad too short for his now long, muscular legs. Groaning he made his way over to his bed and sat down.

'How am I gonna explain this over night change to Mama?' He thought to himself. 'I don't even know what happened.' Head in hands he'd just stayed there and pondered this, occasionally walking over to the mirror to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. 'Damn it!' his mind hissed at him only for another voice to answer him.

_You asked for this! _It sneered at him. _Didn't you want to be older? Well you got it! _The voice continued. _Look on the bright side, you'll be able to do things you couldn't before. Stuff you always wanted to do. Kaa-san always told you to be careful what you wish for._

Souta was taken aback by this new development. He'd heard of people have conscience but his was ridiculous. 'I didn't wish for this!'

_Uh, yeah you did. You can't hide from me. I know you better than you do. All those times you wanted to be stronger, older. Now look._ It chimed to him.

"I'm going crazy!" He'd said aloud, starting at the sound of his now deep voice. "I'm fighting with the voice in my head. The Kami must hink this is all some elaborate joke." Looking at the ceiling he scowled,"You like fucking with the people in this house don't you?" He hissed then flopped backwards and threw his arm over his eyes. Drifting in thought he didn't realize how long he stayed in his room until his mother called everyone down for diner.

'Shit!' He thought,'How can I avoid this?'

_Might as well get it over with, kid. Dragging it out will just make the reactions worse._ The voice, that he'd now dubbed his worse nightmare, said. In a way it made sense. If he went down and Ojii san slapped a sutra on his head he'd laugh and tell them something that would make them believe that it was him.

Sitting up quickly he slid out of his room and padded down the stairs quietly, running his hand through his moonlight hair. Stopping outside the kitchen he listened to the conversation inside. When his mother asked the other two if they'd seen him his grandfather had said no and went on to say that the youth today was a bunch of ungrateful brats who didn't listen to their elders. When Naomi cut him off she'd verbally asked Tama if she'd seen him and the ensuing silence made him think that Tama had shaken her head in the negative.

Finally Naoimi had asked the other two if she should go see what was keeping him and he made his next move. Sighing he opened the door silently,"I'm here kaa-san." He said just as his grandfather opened his mouth to speak. "I've been a bit busy, adjusting." He shrugged and moved to his spot at the table, scanning the faces of those present to gauge their reactions.

His mother was the first to speak after gathering her fallen chopsticks and closing jii sans open mouth. "S..Souta?" She stuttered, a frown crossing her aging face.

"Kaa san?" He retorted without much thought. With a blush he corrected himself. "I mean.. Yes mother?" She glanced at her as she took in his appearance.

"Souta, what happened?" She asked, fear creeping into her voice."Are you really my baby?" She had begun to pale. His answer was interrupted by the very thing he'd dreaded.

The sutra was smacked onto his forehead rather hard, leaving it stinging. That accompanied by the customary shout of 'Demon!' had him turning to glare at the old man who was standing over him. 'I didn't even see him move.' He frowned.

Peeling the paper off with a huff he balled it back up and tossed it at jii sans own forehead, watching with mild interest as it bounced off. Rubbing the spot on his head that he just knew was red, he turned back to his mother, "Now if only Kagome was home. She would have yelled at him about attacking innocent people." Shaking his head, causing his hair to catch the light and glint like it was start touched,"I still remember when he did that to Inuyasha. She didn't forgive him for days."

"Oh Souta it is you." Naomi exclaimed rushing around to hug him tight.

Blinking a few times he smiled at her when she pulled away,"At least Inubaka got pay back when he was shooting diamonds all over the place." Grinning at Naomi,"Adamant-something-or-other I think." He shook his head again.

Tama had just continued eating, the blank look on her face not showing how confused she really was.

As the night progressed Souta and the rest of the family moved to the living area and eventually he stood up and left the house, following his feet to the place the were taking him.

Standing in the darkened shack he frowned into the depths of the well. 'Why'd I come here?' He thought as he sat on the lip and stared at the shadows that seemed to be alive in the well. He never noticed that Tama had followed him and was standing against the wall next to the open door. Nor did he know hat his now blonde sister sat on the other side in the same position as he was. Tama finally walked over to him and held out her hand motioning to the well. Shaking his head he took it and swung his legs over the edge of the Tama had done the same he counted down and pushed off, tugging her behind him. The pulling sensation in his gut increasing as they fell into the darkness only to be surrounded by lights a different color than the ones Kagome experienced.

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Kagome had woken up and immediately realized her arm was healed. Grabbing her belongings she had peeked out the door and saw that Kyoko wasn't in the hut. Smiling she quickly left and ran as fast as she could towards the odd feeling in her gut. She was surprised when she actually held out for an hour before tiring. Stopping to get water she'd seen her reflection and paled. She was the exact same as that girl in her head.

Fingering the blonde locks on her head she sighed. Stranger things had happened. Quickly splashing her face and refilling her water bottle she continued running. It was sunset when she reached the well and slowed down. Walking closer to it she ran her hand over the grains of wood. Then smiling softly she'd slung her feet over the edge of the well and sat there for a while. When she pushed off she felt the magic working and opened her eyes to realize that the light wasn't pinkish purple, but a swirl of colors. Red blue and green mixing an dancing.

Blinking she saw two other people in the rift and reached out to take the hand of one, just to see if they were real. Starting she realized one was Tama and the other was a man. Her mind vaguely registered that he'd said her name, causing her to realize it was her ototou and then everything had gone black.

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None of them saw the three figures watching as they departed. They also wouldn't realize until much later that they weren't were any of them thought they'd be.

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Hey everyone! I'm Just here to say that I'm really staring to get into this. Sorry for the short chapters but I can't really type too much so to make up for it I'll try to write more chapters. Now that they're out of Tokyo guess where they're headed! Cookies for those who get it right. Okay so I will try to reinforce the airing thing cuz I need feed back.

Review!

-Ashe.


	5. 離れて : Hanarete - Away

Authors enjoy seeing their "fans" tell them they like the story, it gives us motivation to keep going. So R&R.

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In the three years she had been jumping into the well she had never once had a problem (Excluding InuBakas attempts to keep her at home and Kaguyas retarded plots). In fact every time she jumped she was swallowed by PURPLE lights and set down on the ground gently. This was why Kagome didn't expect to wake up with a pounding head ache, a sore body and a nice mouthful of sand. In retrospect she should have seen this coming when she jumped into the well and saw the sort of disco effect that it displayed. Hell even seeing Souta and Tama should have set her mind off, but no. She just had to play ditz when her Miko instincts were needed the most.

With a groan she sat up and scanned the immediate area to confirm her suspicions. Just as she had deduced from the grit that was clinging to her in places she knew it shouldn't, she was in a desert. Not just a desert, a very big desert and it was empty too. Well if you called three sides of continuous sand and one side of rock with a large opening in it empty.

Glancing at the sun and sweeping blonde hair out of her face she scowled and stood up taking note that all her weaponry was there and her backpack was still full of her belongings. With a sigh she shook the canteen that was tied to her waist and heard the tell tale signs of running low on water. Knowing that this wasn't a place to waste the precious liquid she made her way for the giant crack like crevice not stopping until she was on the other side.

After 20 minutes of very slow and sleepy travel she emerged on the other side hoping to find water. Blinking as she took in what was below her she smiled happily. There below her was a giant village. There were signs of life but not many.

Descending she frowned at the people who seemed to be warriors and was stopped by one of the wielding very sharp knives. After an explanation, a made up one, as to why she carried weapons she smiled as they told her that she was welcome to stay.

"Well, Kagome, Welcome to the village hidden in the sand. Sunagakure no sato." She murmured to herself as she went off to find lodging and meet with the village headman.

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Souta groaned as he sat up and looked around. He knew late yesterday afternoon when he'd stumbled upon a village but he hadn't really been certain where he was. He'd quickly found his way to an inn and after a six hours of serving people he'd been able to rent a room and get some rest.

He'd been stumbling through the woods for hours when he'd seen the gates to the village and relief had flooded through him. He'd quickly entered and slipped past the sleeping guards with idiotic ease and made his way to scope out the village. Pilfering (Borrowing) a map and pen one of the snoring men had left out he'd made his way towards the center of the village and began marking off points of interest.

After his stomach began to growl he made his way to a small restaurant and asked if he could work for a few hours, being a stranded traveler. Surprisingly the people had taken to him kindly saying his eyes reminded them of a person who was of great importance to them.

Shrugging it off he'd accepted the apron and pad of paper to take orders with and set to work. When he'd finished his impromptu and very successful shift the manager told him he could have a permanent spot on the staff if he so desired and Souta had laughed telling the woman he'd think about it then set off to find lodging, remembering the way back should he decide to go and work for real.

Now here he was sitting in a hotel room contemplating his next step. Standing he realized he had to smell so he decided to go shopping for a new outfit.

Making his way down the bustling streets he continued marking off things on his loaned map. When he finally found a shop that was suitable he grinned and made his way inside.

"Ohayo!" Came the cheerful voice of a girl behind the counter and he grinned in return.

"Ohayo." He said simply watching as the teen colored at the sound of his voice. Blinking a few times he made his way through the clothing and settled on a color that would make him both bend in and stand out. Choosing out a pair of black baggy paints that had chains on them he grabbed boxers to go with and a black sleeveless shirt with the words, "We live to die" spread across the front in red. Spotting more things he hadn't seen anyone from this village sporting so far he grinned. He grabbed a length of black material (The one for new headbands not that he knew it yet) and a fish net undershirt. Deciding on combats he approached the cashier.

The tiny brunette blinked at the ensemble and looked at this nice boy skeptically. Souta just raised a perfectly sculpted brow at her inaction. With a grin he leaned on the counter.

"I know it seems like a bad choice but I promise it won't look that bad when I wear it." He gave her a slow smile, something he'd perfected sometime last night while serving the rush of teen girls in the restaurant. "How about I swing by when I put it on so you can see that I was right, hm?" His green eyes danced in mirth as he winked at the tomato colored girl.

Watching as she looked away quickly and scanned up the items he shook his head, his white hair spiking out slightly from the movement. When he moved to pay he realized the girl was still staring. "I promise that you'll see about my choice in attire."

With a wave over his shoulder he left the shop and made it half way down the block before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Grabbing his sides he doubled over laughing loudly and decided he liked this game. Slowly regaining his composure he stood and made his way down to a jewelry stand deciding to just get this done in one shot. Pasting on a blank expression he nodded to the old proprietor and scanned the selection for the things he'd come for. With a smug expression he asked about the items he'd picked and grinned when he was able to barter them down to a reasonable cost.

Asking about a piercing specialist the old man pointed him towards his sons shop and Souta set out once more. By now it was almost noon and he decided he should get a shower before doing anything else. He swung by the restaurant and told the boss he'd be in in a while and set of to the hotel.

Twenty minutes saw Souta cleaned and dress, his wet hair spiked out with water and the material cut and tied around his wrists. He set out for the last time that day and made his way to the piercing shop and handed the man the items giving detailed instructions. The ears were easy and done in a blink, the spikes and studs simple. In both ears he had one ball and two spikes and a simple clip like ear ring.

The next piercing was done in a flash and he blinked at how little pain he felt. The man laughed at this and told him that simple medical jutsu were the handiest thing for retired ninja to know. With a slight smile he looked over the eyebrow piercing in his left brow, studying he way the dulled meal flashed when the light filtered through his long spiky hair, and smirked. Standing he paid the man and left on his way to his temporary job.

On his way there he swung by the clothing store and peeked in to see if the girl was still there. Waiting until he confirmed that she was he stepped in and strode up to the counter, combat boots strangely silent for being so deceptively heavy. The girl had her back turned to him so he leaned on the counter and cleared his throat causing her to squeak and spin around fast.

Raising his pierced brow he grinned at her and winked.

"Well?" He said simply. "See I told you it wouldn't look so bad."

In response the girl only nodded and blushed to her roots, staring into his eyes as if she was mesmerized. Souta slammed his hands onto the counter suddenly startling the poor teen. "Well I'm off. Gotta get to work myself." He shrugged when she shot him a glare and strode out of the shop, hands in pockets towards the restaurant.

Ten minutes, and many fainting girls later, he strolled into work and smiled at the manager who seemed thrown off at his appearance. He ignored the look and set to work.

Yes this was who he felt like being today, maybe he'd be someone else tomorrow but for now he was satisfied.

"Welcome to Konohas finest restaurant. May I take your order?"

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She didn't know where she was. She was questioning who she was. All she could hear was that sound. That horrible dripping sound. The beeping noises too. It was maddening.

Bee Drip Beep Drip

She had tried opening her eyes but it wouldn't work so she had to wait. She didn't know how long she was there but she wanted to leave. That sound was driving her up a wall.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

That was the one sound she was starting to hate right up there with those voices. The voices of the people who would come around her. The poking and prodding and the many beeping noises. But that damn dripping was the worst.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

But she'd endure it if only to find out who she was and where she was. Why she was there and how she got there. Yes she'd wait but for now she'd sleep. That sounded good. She'd sleep for a while and then she'd be right back at this.

Silence.

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Tenten was at her wits end. She just couldn't understand why that girl wasn't waking up. Sure she'd been pretty beaten up hell she hadn't said a word in the one time she'd woken up while Tenten and her Anbu team had been escorting her to the hospital in Iwa. To be honest no one knew anything about the dark teen that had been found in the rocky wastelands.

There wasn't a file on record in any country of her existence and it also seemed that she was in a coma. The one time she had moved her lips the only thing she had come up with was very light whispers of sound. Glancing at the characters on the sheet of paper, Tenten sighed. She knew she'd have to go home soon and tell the Hokage why she'd been gone so long and ask for permission to have the girl transferred to the hospital in Konoha, but it didn't make leaving the poor girl, in Iwa of all places (Not that hey didn't have a long standing treaty and all), any better.

Tenten, being a mother herself, wasn't too keen on letting this girl who was lost and alone, stay in a hospital by herself. What if she woke up while she was gone? What if she panicked and tried to escape? Why was she thinking on his so hard?

With a heavy heart she approached he hospital bed and moved the black hair out of the girls face. Where once there was beautifully tanned skin it was now pale and looked paper thin. With all the machines the girl was hooked up to it was a miracle she wasn't needing them to breath for her. Her veins stood out like blood on a white shirt, the blue causing a ghastly effect on the child who was asleep.

"I'll be back, kiddo, I promise. Then we'll go to my home. How does that sound?" She grasped the girls limp hand and squeezed it, "I'm going to ask a very good friend of mines to help me figure out what's wrong with you. Sakura has always been good with that sort of thing. She lives far away from here though. In a village to the west of where I live." Tenten inhaled sharply when she saw what was happening. She continued talking as if she didn't have to leave soon.

"She has kids of her own. A son that would be about your age and a daughter who is the epitome of beauty. The boy has been gone a very long time and we can't find him." A twitch of a finger. "He went missing when he was playing with his two best friends. Two baby girls. The daughters of Sakuras best friends." A roll of closed eyes, "They too were beautiful and would be about your age." A tensing of muscles in a leg and a twitch of a cheek muscle. "The three of them are gone and we've searched for 16 years to find them but we can't." Fingers lacing through her own caused the weapons mistress to snap out of her memories and looked up with tear filled eyes only to gasp as her brown meet dark grey almost black eyes. "No."

With a cry she stood on shaky legs and pulled the girl into a bear hug, mindful of the machines. Then she sobbed into the girl... no, the woman's shoulder. Laying in front of her after a total of 16 long years was the tiny girl she remembered clinging to her fathers pant leg, begging him not to leave on missions and leave her with those "mean smelly Hyuugas." The baby who had been the hope of a new life for a man, no he'd been a boy, who had been torn with grief. A boy who was made a father at seventeen and at 20 lost that very child to the cruel world he had fought to hide her from. The same child who when ripped away from the 20 year old had caused a spanning chasm between him and the world. Not even his wife could breach it. Or their three children, a genin, an academy cadet and a toddler.

And she was the first one to realize that the day of black fire was closer than any of them would have every hoped.

Regaining her composure she stepped away from the teen, hands clinging to her shoulders, trying to reassure herself that she wouldn't disappear again.

"I have to send a letter to someone very important, his name is Uzumaki Naruto. Have you heard of him?" With the shake of the head she pressed on, "He's the leader of ou... my village. He will be wondering where I am and it is my job to make sure he knows. I will be right out side if you need me." Ten ten then remembered the speech impediment. "Ring this bell." She slid one out if her pocket and kissed the girl on her forehead and smiled. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Anbu Captain of the four platoon, Hyuuga Tenten, left the room with a lighter heart and a grand smile to deliver news to the Hokage so that maybe, just maybe, the other two sets of parents and the village wouldn't loose hope.

**************************000000000000000000********************************

_This just isn't fucking right._

That was the thought coursing through Tamas head as she threw her body full force into the bars of the god forsaken cage she'd been locked away in.

_Not right at all._

First that stupid beast in Karakura, then that fucking portal with it's horribly flashy light show and now she was locked away in her own damn mind. Actually no that wasn't right. She wasn't locked away. It was more like she was two places at once. And the feeling sucked.

_I'm a fucking inner demon!_

That had been a startling revelation. The fact that she had been free for quite some time and asserted herself only to be thrust back into the recesses of someones mind again. Oh yeah that had been a wonderful experience and now she was one very pissed off demon.

_If it wasn't for that fucking meddling Fox!_

That her memories had flown back to her, after all the years pretending to be the child whose body she had acquired, in a rush was disconcerting. No she hadn't been pretending she just hadn't been aware that she was not as she seemed.

_If I ever see that godforsaken silver I'll castrate him. No I'll do so much worse._

She felt the ties of her soul and the human girls. She knew that they were one in the same. That still didn't make it any easier to find out that she had been the defense mechanism for the child. She now knew that she'd saved the girls life. The very girl who was riddled with a sickness with no cure. The Girl who was now being healed by the very demon who'd been masquerading as her for so long. Clearing her lungs and burning the deadly virus out of her body.

_I swear on my right claw that he'll regret the day he tried to steal from me and hide amongst humans making me to go berserk._

And she also knew that no one had realized she had been gone. No one except her previous host. The host that had rid them self of her to save an unborn child.

_Well at least now I can heal my vocal cords._

Only time would tell the real reason for her rage so long ago. The theft that had befallen her. The task bestowed upon her by her own Father. Now it was all for nothing. No not nothing. She _had_ saved a jewel. The child she inhabited as a friend and sister. As the one who would teach her of the power she held. Yes her quest had only just begun and when it ended this girl would be just as she once was.

_Well I guess I have no choice but to train the new Kitsune. The new protector of the Miko. The new representative of the demonic realms. And when her power is recognized they will realize they can never rid themselves of the Kyuubi no Kitsune._

****************************...TBC...**************************************

Oh yeah Tama Wasn't an American after all! Woot woot! Look at that! That would explain why she saw and participated in the battle at Karakura. And one of the three kid is back! Yes!

Man I didn't expect to be drawn into this chapter the way I was. really it was all a mistake cuz I was gonna do a spoiler or a filler and let you hang.

So long as I get reviews I'll continue. Oh Oh and Cookies to those who've figured out what's going on so far. Next Time I'll bring back those shady people from Karakura who were looking for their sister. You know Kazuya and Toru. Maybe even throw Hisouka into the mix. This is awesome!

Read and review or no mores Chappies for you.

Ja-

Ashe


	6. 受注 : Juchū - Orders

~~FB~~ :Flashbacks

~~EFB~~: End flashbacks

_'Thoughts'_

_Inner Creatures/Beings_

_**Hallows**_

"Speech"

_"Jutsu"_

(I'll add more after going through the story again and adding this to every chap.)

Onward!

***********************000000000000000000000******************

Naomi sat in the kitchen lost in thought, the tea she had made had long since turned cold. She had always worried about Kagome jumping into that well but she would never worry very long because she knew that the young priestess would always come home. This time howeve she didn't know and it wasn't any use pondering. Even now with both her children gone, having slipped through time.

She had never told Kagome the truth about who she was because it didn't exactly hinder her search for the shikon shards. Now she was regretting that decision. Now she worried what her kids would think of her when they found out. But she could remember they day they had come across the child and even now she remembered the shear terror in the toddlers eyes.

~~FB~~

_Naomi and Kenta had been planning to have children for years. Every time they tried they failed. Eventually Kenta had told Naomi they should get checked and she had agreed._

_Now here they were standing outside of the doctors after Naomi had found out the results of all the test and they were down trodden. Higurashi Naomi would never have children, not even by accident. _

_Kenta held Naomi close as they walked and she tried to hold back her tears. Still even her strong willpower wasn't enough and she tore out of his arms and ran blindly into an alley, her husband close behind._

_"Don't look at me." She cried. "Don't touch me." She had become frantic, mourning the children she would never give him. "I don't deserve to be touched." She whimpered._

_"Mi-chan, please stop." He crouched down by her."It's not your fault, koi." He held told her, rocking her to comfort her._

_Ten minutes and a soaked shirt later and she was apologizing to her husband. Kenta had smiled and helped her to stand up then brushed her long black hair out of her face and began to dust off the white jacket and tan capris she was wearing. With their backs turned they didn't see the movement in the back of the alley until Kenta had jerked her into his chest and watched the small figured crawl out of the trash pile._

_"Kaa?" Came the tiny voice and whimper of a child."Kaa?" _

_Kenta was frozen in shock at what he was seeing so Naomi spun around in his grasp and felt the breath woosh out of her lungs at what she saw._

_There covered from head to toe in dirt was a tiny black haired child that couldn't have been more than two. Her doe eyes met that of the older female and she began to tear up and plopped onto her tiny rear end wailing for her mother._

_Naomi had felt her heart break for the tike and quickly went over to the child and held her close cooing and murmering softly. When the baby was quiet she smiled and hugged her._

_"There there sweetie. We'll find your Kaa-san." She said looking at her husband pleadingly._

_And that was the day that he proved he would never deny her anything. He had called the police and told them they needed to put out a missing childrens report. When they had gotten back to them a month later and said no one had come in Kenta proved he'd give her the moon if it was possible._

_He had come home with a very tiny tag along and Naomi had begun to tear up as the baby reached for her._

_"Kaa?" the child had cooed for the woman to take her. And she did. As the child sttled into her arms Kenta had smiled at his wife and brushed the hair out of the babes face._

_"Hai, musume, Okaa-san to Otou-san." _

_That day she'd become the happiest woman in the world, if only for a little while._

_~~EFB~~_

Now she was sitting here wondering if she would ever tell Kagome. If she could ever tell her that they found her best friend in that same alley and souta had shown up there eventually. She wondered why after all that time and six children being found in that same place why no one was caught. They had begun to call it the alley of the missing for the many children who turned up there each year. The many parents who adopted them went to pay their respects to the gods just as Naomi did every year since they fourth child was found. The shrine they'd built there giving hope to all those who couldn't have children.

Maybe she'd never have to tell her. Souta would aid in the discovery that they were all he idn't look anything like the baby boy they had found years after Kagome. It was only a matter of time.

*~K&S~*~T&T~*~S&K~*

Still they couldn't find her. This was beginging to grate on his nerves. Toru could honestly say that he hadn't been this edgy in just over five hundred years. No that wasn't right it was a tad shorter than that. Hell he couldn't even remember. Tieing his now mid back lengther hair in a low tail he scowled. He had to get to work or his higher up would strip him of his rank temporarily and make him go back to the academy. The only problem was he was the only one they ever did it with since he was the only one who'd been dumb enough to suggest it. Honestly after a year of being a squad leader they still hadn't let him live it down.

"Fucking demented old man." He hissed in feigned malace."He takes some perverse pleasure in tourturing me."

After slipping on his uniform he slowly made his way down the stairs to the kitchen, tabi making his footsteps softer. Spotting the two women who weren't running in circles around Japan he smiled lightly to the brunette and kissed the old white haired woman on the cheek. "I'm going to head off to work, Mama. You and Nee-san should relax and stop worrying about Aneki. She'll come home when she comes home." Kissing the black hair woman on the cheek and made his way out of the room stopping abruptly causing his long white cloak to swish around his feet. "Ne, Onee-san, your husband should be by to pick you up later. He called last night and asked me to inform you of a person named...Koenma?... Asking for help finding one of his "missing" Ex-Operatives."

"Alright alright." She waved absently at the man,"Have a nice day Toru." She chimed softly.

"Ah." The last thing the women saw of him was the number emblazoned across the back of the cloak he wore.

"That boy is a menace when he wishes to be." The elderly woman shook her head.

"Yes but you have to admit that he does his job well." Kazuya replied softly. "Captains need to do their jobs well. He knows to costs of not doing so and the risks he takes when he put his life in danger for his subordinates."

"Hm." Was the non commital answer from the woman known as Mama."Let's hope he can make the boy sign the contract or else we may never know what is to happen to this world."

"I think Toru knows whats on the line if he doesn't get Hitsugayas agreement." Kazuya smiled softly. "As the captain of the gobantai he knows. He wouldn't have made it to Capatin of the fifth squad if he didn't. The question is when will it all come full circle?"

Mama only poured the soft hearted younger woman another cup of tea with a smile.

*~K&S~*~T&T~*~S&K~*

The Hokage was upset with the progress of the missions that had been arranged in the last two weeks. For the black ops squads it shouldn't be so difficult to eliminate uprising threats in the wave and rock countries. The envoy from Cloud had already arrived to begin negotiations and the Mizukage was on her way. The Raikage had been getting drunk and starting problems with married men and Gaara hadn't even made it accross the dessert. The only one he was really waiting for was The Tsuchikage.

According to the Anbu squad that had been sent to deal with the problems along the road to Konoha from Iwa, a major problem had come up, one that had to be dealt with immediately.

The captain had found a girl who looked as though she could be a jounin or chuunin, hell maybe even a really old genin, the kami knew that it was two shinobi from his village that held the record for oldest genin alive. This girl had needed severe medical treatment asap and from the looks of it she was awake. Now the question was whether or not the Kazehime would leaven the convoy from Suna to escort the girl from Iwa all the way back to Konoha.

The anbu squad leader hadn't disclosed anything that pertained to the identity of this girl and why they would want to bring her back to the village suddenly when she was found in Stone of all places. There was one way to find out though.

"Retrieve Anbu Captain Hyo." Blue eyes narrowed, "Have him report to me immidiately."

*~K&S~*~T&T~*~S&K~*

Ino was not a happy camper. Even if you could call her attitude so far happy since she only seemed to have adopted her husbands scowling ways. In all honesty she didn't mean to treat everyone the way that seemed typical of her family. But this was too much.

That stupid Anbu had shown up claiming that Sasuke should report to the Hokages office at 3:30 in the morning and while it was not unusual for them to do this it was the fact that it wasn't just any Anbu. No it had to be the one Anbu she had known since childhood and he hadn't just popped in at any time. No Shikamaru just had to shunshin in right as they were going to...

Ugh she was fed up. After Sasuke had left the baby started to cry and oh how she really was starting to hate her own children. So here she was not only hot under the collar but severely bothered and pissed off.

No wonder the Uchiha Matriarch was so uptight just like her forebearers.

*~K&S~*~T&T~*~S&K~*

Anbu Captain Hyo stood motionless infront of the desk his ex best friend sat behind. Detatched. That was the word to describe him. Even in his mid thirties he was extremely detatched from reality. It was almost like he was trying to show them exactly why he'd gone off his rocker after killing Itachi.

With a sigh Naruto motioned for the other three Anbu to step forward. Taking a moment to shuffle through the documents on his desk he scowled not unlike a certain asshole he knew very well.

"I've called Squad two here because as of now you are the best of the best. You have proven that we don't need a first and comanding Squad to have an operational Anbu HQ. You have taken up that job seriously and without fail." He cleared his throat and shot a glare at the Uchiha. "I've summoned you because of the situation with the Squad patrolling the roads from here to Iwa and back. Two of you will be sent to investigate the reason for their delay." He motioned to two masked figures that were in no way the Uchiha. "The other two will be sent to investigate why the Kazekage has been delayed. The envoy should have made it to the forests of Hi yesterday but it seems as if they are moving exponentially slower than is neccesary."

"Hyo and Tori will head off to the desert. Shika and Oni will depart towards Iwa." He motioned the teams. "You will travel the first leg together and the second leg in your assigned teams. I will not tolerate failure. The peace treaty is hanging in the balance." With that he waved them off and pretended to be doing paperwork. Once they had departed and he felt them well on their way towards their destination he heaved a great sigh and rubbed his eyes.

For years he had put up with the frosty exterior of his best friend and now when the 16 year mark was closer than ever he way more of a bastard than ever before. He just wished the bastard would open his eyes and realize that He wasn't the only one to loose a child. No, He and sakura had suffered just the same.

Even in grief the old team 7 was united.

********************************00000000000000000000000***********************

Okay so this chapter wasn't even about our heroes, but there needs to be a bit of an in depth look at what everyone else is doing right? After all it can't be a story if Tenten is in Iwa and random Anbu just show up or Kags is in Suna and randomly deicdes to go camping. Cookies _and_ cake to those who can tell who the parents of the missing kids are. So far it's still in the wind. All we know is that there are three ones an Uchiha and Ino is Sasukes wife.

I wanna know who Sakura married if it wasn't one of her oldest team mates and who would be able to get that ramen obssesed loud mouth to settle down.

Where the Hell is Tama anyway?

R&R

I already know where this is going I just wanna see if you can see it.

Ja-

Ashe


	7. 爆発: Bakuhatsu - Explosion

Two updates so close together is a rarity for me but hell at least I'm progressing.

I am Back!

On with the story!

~~FB~~ :Flashbacks

~~EFB~~: End flashbacks

_'Thoughts'_

_**Inner Creatures/Beings**_

_**Hallows**_

"Speech"

_"Jutsu"_

_!SH is SS!SH IS SS! SH is SS!_

Captain Hyo let his eyes slide across the desert landscape as he and his current partner made their way along the mapped out route that the Kazekages envoy was supposed to take. He didn't care why they would send him out here, he just wanted to get this job over with as soon as possible. Really, was it too much to ask that the hokage just give the ANBU a break in a time of peace?

Taking a quick glance over at Tori he continued on his way towards the caravan that was late to Konohagakure. Tori was a reknowned Captain in his own right, being that he was the head of another Clan and he knew his way around a battle field like any of the now Veteran Rookies. He could take his teams out and have them return without loosing a single man to the horrible conditions that shinobi faced when sent out on long missions.

Both of the Captains had fought together before and knew how the other operated, one like flowing water and the other like fire. Together they created the steam that caused their opponents

to freeze and run away in fear of who they were facing. They were ruthless when it came to doing their jobs and yet they still had the compasion that showed they were human. That same compassion set them apart from their former counterparts in Root.

Hyo let his now much sharper eyes slide across the land scape and glanced at Tori who motioned that he could see the envoy where the other could not see it. Hyo wasn't blind by any means it was just that Tori was a Hyuuga that had seen his fair share of Chakra signals to spot them farther out than most in his clan. The Cousin shinobi raced forward, knowing that they would reach their destination sooner than they had thought.

Tori glanced over at his current team-mate and had to wonder if he would feel anything at seeing his old friend again. He also wondered if, even with the Himes large heart, the Kazehime would be able to bear the long silent journey to Iwa. He knew that he would be the one to escort the group to the hospital but he didn't know how it would go when they got there. All he knew was that there was a patient in need of medical help. Hopefully that would be enough to move the Lady of the sand and convince her to change the course of the caravan so that they were headed towards the location of the other two Anbu on this mission.

___!SH is SS!SH IS SS! SH is SS!_

Souta couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched. It had been happening for about a week now and he just couldn't get away. Hell the feeling didn't even leave when he was in the shower! When he was asleep he would wake up and automatically feel as though someone was there. When he walked to work at the restaurant and when he went for a jog around the shinobi training grounds, number three was always empty so he'd taken to using that more than any other one.

So it was no surprise when the restaurant began getting more and more shinobi customers. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact shonobi tended to spend more on their fare when they where at home then when they were on a mission. So all in all the extra income was welcomed since they tipped well to those people they thought treated them well, but the number of shinobi in the shop out weighed the number of civilians. The shop owner was getting annoyed with the way the shinobi were so rowdy and had petitioned the hokage to put a limit on how many ninja could be there at once, Mrs. Komura still hadn't heard any thing yet. That was a month ago.

Now here he stood in the hokages commissions room to demand a stop to what he could only describe as the "Stalker Ninjas." Really what purpose did it serve to set up a bunch of anbu to follow a regular civilian? He didn't really know how to control chakra, although he had been watching the ninja in the training grounds and practicing in his spare time. He had already gotten down the basic idea and moved on to the practical application of it when he had begun being followed.

It took about two hours before he was allowed in to see the hokage since each person demanding help from the shinobi had the convenience of their own private meeting.

When he entered the room where the hokage was he didn't even bother to bow, feeling that the hokage didn't deserve that respect right about now.

"Ah! You're the kid from the tea shop!" The hokage laughing gaze met his for the most part only pissing him off even more. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a meeting with you?"

"Well hokage-_sama _I have been feeling a little out of sorts lately. Almost... closely watched and I wanted to ask if you had any idea _why_ I would be feeling like I have a stalker or.. oh lets say about... 60?" Souta said as calmly as he could, inserting enough venom into his words to make the hokage understand that he wasn't going to take it anymore.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." The Uzumaki said playing his all time favorite role, stupid.

"Ah then you won't mind if I just recruit a few _ninja_ to help me figure out what is going on now would you?" The teen hissed back at the hokage, eyes narrowing as he listened to his response.

"By all means go right ahead." Naruto shrugged. "I hope they can solve what's is going on after all I wouln't want to worry about the safety of the _citizens_ of konoha now would I?"

The little concealed barb sent Souta off the wall. Without thinking he spun on heal and buried his fist in the wall behind him, causing it to crack furiously at the treatment. Turning back towards the hokage he stalked up to the table which served as an impromtu desk and slammed his palms down on it making it groan and protest, the sound of wood splitting slowly reaching the ears of everyone present.

"So that's what his is about? Me having unknown origins? I haven't done a damn thing to anyone here but serve them the best food this side of Hi no kuni and I'm being accused of being a spy or worse?" Souta raged.

During this whole out burst no one notice Kakashi staring at the unity wall, the wall with the symbols of the five great nations hanging there.

Each Kage had lost something precious to them or their country and they hung the symbols on this wall to show that it was not a weakness that the other villages could exploit if they ever di turn on each other.

Now yes the wall seemed insignificant if a person knew what the things ment but with Kakashi staring at it and the oddity that was happening to the symbol left by Suna it wasn't as insignificant anymore.

"Ano, Iruka." Kakashi tried to get the ex teachers attention only to be waved off. "Iruka, I think you should look at this." He said pointing to the wall.

At this point the ANBU had moved in and restrained the irate teen and Naruto was acting like a kid with candy.

Iruka had watched the whole thing but he was now glaring at the offending person who had interrupted him. Noticing the finger in his line of sight he followed it only to go pale.

"Kakashi-sempai, isn't that..." He shivered, not finishing his question.

"Yup and I think Naruto just might get a wake up call about how innocent this one kid is." He smiled behind his mask and went back to his icha icha, the old pervert ha taken up writing where Jiraya had left off.

"If you pricks don't let go of me I'm gonna show you why your boss here thinks I'm so damn dangerous. After all I learned what I know about chakra from you idiots not paying attention to your surroundings." He hissed at the anbu who were holding his arms and legs and the one who had his hand on his weapon pouch.

"I wouldn't irritate them," Came the now somber voice of the village leader,"They are the best of the best after all and have no qualms taking a life."

Souta stayed quiet and gave Naruto a few seconds to analyze his appearance. Shaggy white hair, green eyes he could swear he recognized and the rings around his eyes from lack of sleep, probably due to the ANBU guard that tailed him at all times.

_'I could swear he looks like someone I know.'_ The man thought to himself. That was when the boy broke all pretense of being calm and spat at him while struggling to be released. It was also when all hell broke loose.

The ANBU who had his hand on his pouch was now pressing a two kunai against Soutas throat. Souta for the most part was still focused on the hokage as was every being in the room so when the sound of shattering glass reached their ears everyone froze. That is they froze until the anbu with the kunai was thrown away from the boy. The other two ANBU retreated and formed protection around their leader waiting for the next action taken by the boy. The thing was it wasn't action taken by the boy that caused an upstir.

Souta took a moment to realize that no one was holding him but when he did he closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Using this time to relax he took a few steadying breaths and tried to compose himself. When he opened his eyes he stared at the hokage with a blank face and tried not to become irate.

"You don't know me. You don't try to get to know the new people who move here, you just sick your _dogs_ on them and go about your life. News flash, Mr. Big Shot, if you would have gotten to know me you would have known that I am studying healing jutsu, not killing jutsu." He spoke quietly, "I have never been able to harm another without remorse and I would never try to harm the good people of Konoha. Whether you believe me or not is up to you. If I ever do decide to harm anyone, I'll tell you first but until then leave me the hell alone."

Naruto watched the boy through the whole interaction but in reality he was monitoring the way the sparkling white crystals reacted to the boys mood. They danced when he was irritated, looked like an ocean when he was calm and protected when he was upset. It was a miracle to see this happening before his own two eyes but the boy didn't even realize what was going on. Or so he thought.

"By the way all this sand is a bigger fucking irritant than you sicking a bunch of stalkers on me! Who the hell ever thinks this joke is funny is gonna get decked soon if they don't quit." Souta hissed to the people present. The hokage was the one to respond.

"Funny, as much as I would love to see you punch yourself I don't think doing yourself bodily harm would be worth it." He sighed sitting back down.

"Whatever old man. Your sense of humor is lacking in a few areas. " Souta hissed and spun on heel and left, not noticing the cloud of white sand following him out of the room.

There was a few moments of dead silence that allowed Naruto to process what had happened and what it meant but that quickly came to an end when the elders slammed into the council room used for public audiences.

"Hokage-sama, what is going on here?" Demanded ex inuzuka matriarch and current clan elder Tsume Inuzuka. The woman was a no nonsense supporter of the beliefs of Konoha.

"We saw a boy walk out of here leaving a large trail of sand on his wake." Hiashi Hyuuga, stated as though the world was beneath him. These statements caused the before mentioned up roar. Answers shouted from every person who had seen what happened and did not want to be punished by their respective clan elder. The only ones not rushing to speakup were Naruto, Iruka and Kakashi. Surprisingly enough it was Kakashi who quieted all who were being rowdy.

"Maa, Maa. Don't you all think that you are acting like Academy students?" He glanced over the top of his book. "What happened here was the return of a powerful ally and not to mention the child of a very close friend of our and the entire villiage." He stated simply. Now if you will excuse me I think I hear my name being called by Anko." He said before he shunshined away leaving the others to deal with the aftermath.

"Damn it Kaka-Sensei. If I see you in anytime soon I'll make you do _all_ of my work." Naruto grumbled under his breath.

_!SH is SS!SH IS SS! SH is SS!_

_Somewhere far away in an unknown location_

Kakashi shivered as a chill went up his spine.

_!SH is SS!SH IS SS! SH is SS!_

Okay so now you're starting to see it! Slowly but surely it's coming together. I wanted t origionaly stick Kagome into soutas role but that wouldn't give me as many ideas since she has a developed personality where as Souta never really stood out too much as a full character in the series.

I'm still wondering were the hell Tama's stuck at. -.-

R&R

- Ashe


	8. 出会い : Deai - Encounter

Yeah. I know it's been a loooooong time but I wasn't in any condition to keep up. In the last few years my mind always kept turning back to this story. I can't get it out of my head. So I'm going to continue it when I can. It could take ten more years to complete but I'm trying.

* * *

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Sakuras eyes narrowed at the fast approaching chakra signals. It wasn't that she was worried about the owners of said auras, no it was the implications of their presence. Knowing Naruto, he sent Sasuke and Neji here just because he could. Lord knew he had done that enough in the past that all shinobi from Konoha had been banned from the village she now lived in. Her Husband had come home one day with a migraine and declared Naruto dead if he sent one more ninja just to say hello or ask if they had thought about starting an Ichiraku stand in Suna. Now thinking back to it, Garra had been right. Naruto really was down right annoying when he was pulling those constant acts of sheer stupidity.

Now just didn't seem to be the time for him to be pulling this crap so she decided to wait and see what would come of the encounter with her former team mate and fellow shinobi.

* * *

Captain Hyo skidded to a stop in front of the Kazekage, scanning the shinobi surrounding the man for any threats to himself or his team member. Finding none he turned his glaringly bright eyes back to the man whose crimson hair was a stark contrast next to his wife's pink. Tora came to an immediate halt right next to him and presented the leader of the sand with the scroll they had been entrusted with. Both watch as the skin where there should have been eye brows drew together as he scanned the document before he handed the unfurled paper to the Kazehime. Upon finishing the last word of the document she seemed to gain a fierce look on her face. In that instance she proved to the surrounding shinobi exactly why she had captured the attention of the once feared now revered Sabaku no Gaara.

"Tensai, Hanada, Matsuri and Higurashi. Get your asses in gear. We're taking a detour before we head over to Konoha." She snapped at the four women that stood around her. The blond with the lavender colored eyed seemed startled, as if surprised she was called upon. This was further expounded upon when she quickly looked around and then pointed at herself as if asking if there was another one of herself. Sakuras eyes seemed to blaze green fire as they took in the girl only to die down to a small ember when she seemed to realize why the girl was asking this silent question. "You are one of the most skilled bowman I have ever met and to top it off you show and aptitude for weaponry rivaled only by the Head Woman of the Hyuuga clan of Konoha. You are a kind soul and you show that you are a very wise person. You are well suited for this mission, whether you really are a civilian or not. you would not be a part of this envoy if anything else was the case."

The blonde nodded quietly, causing Neji to frown behind his mask. She showed the makings of a Kekegenkai. A dojutsu to be exactly. And it was a toss up because the coils seemed to just be having chakra coursing through them. It was almost as if she was only a month old. Her chakra coils were that fresh. He decided then and there that he would watch this girl closer if only to solve the mystery that she seemed to be shrouded in.

Kagome couldn't believe that the Kazehime had called upon her to do anything in regards to this supposedly important mission. She didn't know what she could possibly do to help this very skilled woman. She was a legend for Pete sake! How the hell do you do anything to protect someone like that? it was more than likely she'd end up being the one in need of protection. With that thought Kagome joined the briefing for the trip to Iwa.

* * *

Souta scowled at the people who had just stopped him on his third way around training ground three. If he didn't know any better he would say that these guys were just looking to pick a fight. He'd already knocked that Sarutobi guy out twice now.

Said ninja scowled at the taller young man. He didn't care who he thought he was he was determined to kick his ass. All this bull shit about him being the long lost heir to suna had to be crap. The kid fought with his fists like a regular civilian would! eyes narrowed he smirked dirtily at the boy. Yeah this would be fun.

Ten minutes later Souta had continued on his run as if nothing had ever happened, leaving three very bruised and completely out cold twenty year olds in a snoring heap in the very spot he'd been stopped in. The smile on his face telling all who noticed that he had enjoyed the physical exertion thoroughly.

Over the past few weeks he had noticed that the people of Konoha seemed to clear a path for him, but no one dared tell him why that was. He was damn sure it had to do with the first couple of time that glittering snow like sand had made its appearance to help him.

The first time was the Hokages commissions office and he had thought it would be a one time thing when he left but once he got home he realized that the white cloud had seemed to follow him like metal follows a magnet across a table. from then on out he had tried to get rid of the clingy little particles but he just couldn't seem to shake the damn things.

The second instance of them appearing had happened when one of the shinobi that lived near the restaurant had gotten drunk and started a fight on his way home. That wouldn't have been a problem if the fight hadn't been with a civilian and he hadn't been armed. Souta who had been walking down the street had seen the moment the pulled out his kunai and swung on the poor defenseless man and known he wouldn't get there fast enough. He wouldn't get there because he had no way of appearing out of no where like the shinobi did. So he could only stand and watch as the man swung his arm in a perfect arch. The next thing he remembered was reaching out as if to stop the blade when the sand had flew past him and yanked the guys arm to a sudden halt. Souta had taken a second to look from his now balled fist to the guy who was fighting to get free and then to the civilians who were now running past him. The man stopped and thanked him before racing off.

The last time it happened there had been a cart out of control and he had been crossing the street. It wasn't until he was in the middle of the road that heard the screamed "Watch out!" By then it was too late and he could only stare at the wooden contraption as it raced toward him. He had closed his eyes and thrown his arms up as if to cover his face when he heard the resounding crash. At first he thought he was dead but then he realized he was breathing and opened his eyes. there in front of him was yet more snow-white sand. A wall of it. A wall if it that had just stopped him from being back on it he couldn't help but think to himself that maybe the grainy substance wasn't so bad to have around after all.

* * *

The next two days were pure hell for Kagome. Yes she was used to Inuyasha being a slave driver but this was just torture at his finest. At least _he _had a tiny amount of compassion somewhere in his Kikyo obsessed heart. It seemed as if the Lady of the sand village didn't even have that. She would just give the poor exhausted miko a knowing look and motion for them to keep going. after the first 24 hours of it Kagome had sunk to the ground where she was standing when the Kazehime had called for the ninja to set up camp. Soon after she had nodded off, too exhausted to even eat anything. The next thing she knew she was awakened and had an energy bar shoved at her and a modified soldier pill. Apparently Anbu Tora had told Sakura-sama that she had potential when it came to chakra and that was why they were pushing her so hard, and treating her as if she was a seasoned kunoichi.

Before they had set out on the second morning said Anbu agent gave her a quick run down of how to channel chakra to her feet before nodding in satisfaction and turning to walk to the rear of the formation they had been traveling in. Now here she was Once again ready to just stop where she was and drop. Deciding enough was enough Kagome came to a dead halt where she was standing and sat her behind on the ground, settling in for the wait. It wasn't long before Tora noticed her refusal to move and moved forward to speak with Hyo after he had signaled a stop. Hyo took one look between Tora standing in front of him and her sitting on the dirt covered ground, surrounded by the rocks that signaled they had crossed the border into the stone country, before he said something to Tora and began to head towards her.

"Get up." Sasuke said to the blonde sitting in front of him.

He couldn't believe that this little civilian thought she could just do what she wanted to, when she wanted to. What's worse was the fact that Sakura just stood there and smiled before turning and following Neji out of sight, heading in the direction of their original destination. If the girl was one of his civilians he wouldn't have even asked her to come along on a mission. She probably couldn't even defend herself.

Kagome glared at the man in front of her. Who the hell did he think he was? There was no way she was just going to take that sitting down. She went through it enough with Inubaka, she refused to let anyone else push her around.

Instead of saying anything she turned to scan the trees around her as if she hadn't even heard him. This only served to piss Sasuke off.

"Get up or I will not hesitate to leave you behind." He snapped, "You're nothing but a civilian anyway and you don't belong here, with us, on a mission of any sort. Be grateful that Sakura likes keeping a pet around." He hissed out. He had changed over the last 16 years and no one around him thought it was for the better. His son had taken to avoiding the house as much as he could, not bothering to stop in for a visit unless the older Uchiha was away. if it wasn't for the fact that the boy was 20 he would have just kicked him out and been done with it. Sadly you couldn't kick someone out if they lived in the house next door. On occasion he had made his Gennin daughter cry with his harsh words and Ino had kept the baby as far away from him as possible.

If it wasn't for her chakra spiking in anger, he would have thought she didn't hear anything he said. Boy was he wrong. The next thing he knew there was a tiny 19 year old in his face, her violet eyes aflame.

"Listen here mister. I am no ones pet." She emphasized this by jamming her finger into his chest. "And believe me, I wouldn't be here if she hadn't told me I had to come. I would happily be on my way to your village with the rest of our group if she hadn't suddenly decided to play pick on the civilian! I am about five seconds away from either fainting with exhaustion or skewering you with my sai!"

"Shut up." Sasuke hissed having noticed something was off. The surrounding landscape was too quiet. No even a fly buzzing within hearing range. The girl didn't listen and kept ranting which meant she didn't notice the look on his face as his Sharingan flared to life or the way he slipped his sword out of the sheath before snatching her out of the way of a well aimed kunai. Or so he thought.

Before they had even set foot back on the ground Kagome had her sai out and had fallen into her defensive position as soon as they landed. This gave Sasuke a slight moment of hesitation but he didn't stop to think on it as on of the rouges decided to show himself.

When the first rouge cleared the giant stone on the other side of the rocky landscape she didn't move, watching as he charged Sasuke with the grace of an amateur. The untrained ninjas partner in crime did however get her attention and she swung out behind her causing her right sai to look like it was pin wheeling before it caught the burly man across the cheek. Spinning on heel she struck again with her left as she withdrew the right into a defensive position, keeping herself covered in defense as she attacked him. The man saw it coming this time however and decided to take the offensive by catching her around the wrist and twisting it until she let go of the short blade. Deciding to just get it over with she caught him under the jaw with the flat of her palm, causing his head to snap backwards before she whipped the back of the same hand into his solar plexus causing him to choke on the breath he had been taking.

This gave the miko enough time to put a decent amount of space between them before she flicked her wrist and the senbon she kept store on her body went flying in his direction, embedding themselves in his neck. The mans eyes widened before they rolled back in his head and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. She could feel one more aura hiding so she channeled chakra to her feet as she had been shown the previous night in order to get to Sasukes side. The only problem was the fact that she misdirected the flow and it caused everything to be thrown into a different sort of view. The stark contrast caused her knees to give out beneath her and her head to begin throbbing.

Sasuke saw the girl fall and frowned, torn between chasing after the retreating shinobi and going to the girl. She couldn't have been hurt by that brute could she? Making up his mind he approached her and tipped her head back, looking for any sign of injury. There were no external signs of bleeding so he pried open one of her eye lids only to withdraw as fast as he could. This was impossible. Utterly impossible and yet it was happening. Making a quick decision he knocked the girl out before retrieving the sai she had lost in the midst of battle and gathering her in his arms to follow the path that the others had taken. He had to talk to Neji and fast.

* * *

Sakura was completely stumped. The girl in front of her was as if mute and yet she could find no signs of any physical damage causing it to happen. She had gone over the poor girl and done an examination and found nothing wrong. A few bad bruises and one slight fracture in her left tibia, which was easily healed using chakra but nothing that would have caused her any lasting damage. If it wasn't physical then she didn't know how to help and that was one of the things that really frustrated Sakura about her profession. She hated when she couldn't heal a patient.

Figuring that the best course of action would be to have the girl get plenty of rest. Her patient only nodded and turned back to the window beside her, deep grey eyes getting lost in the area she saw outside. Sakura watched her for a moment before turning to leave. As she was opening the door she heard a quick movement behind her right before she was pushed to the side and the girl everyone though was sickly was sprinting down the corridor of the hospital. Sakura followed at high speed, her mind working a million miles per minute. There was nothing that could have set the girl off and yet there she was bolting for the front door as if the building was on fire.

The black haired girl slid around a corner and Sakura lost sight of her. Cursing under her breath she sped around the same corner and immediately came to a dead halt.

There was Sasuke Uchiha, pinned up against the wall by a woman damn near a head shorter than him and she was holding him up by one arm. Off to the side was Kagome, now awake and clutching her head shivering, with tears pouring down her face.

* * *

One moment Tama was trying to wrench the bars on the damn cell open and the next she was hit by a familiar scent. Kagome. This caused her to fight for partial control and seeing through the eyes of the body she had been in for just under 20 years she glanced out the window. What she saw pissed her off to no end. Without a thought she was up and out the door, charging down the hall. Knocking over patients and orderlies alike she made her way towards the front entrance. When she got there all she saw was her sister, her precious best friend, scrambling to get away front a masked man.

She saw nothing but red as she snatched the blonde miko from the guy and set her down before turning and slamming him against the wall. She knew that pink haired doctor had followed her so she wasn't surprised in the least when she heard her foot steps come to a stop. The mans black eyes narrowed and flashed red. Wrong move.

* * *

Sharingan flaring to life for the second time that day Sasuke expected the girl to let him go in fright of his red eyes. Instead she seemed to growl before spinning on heel and throwing him through the wall across the room. That only served to piss him off and he was up and through the hole before the smoke began to clear. What he saw was not what he was expecting.

* * *

Neji saw it all. The girl in the room with Sakura, her almost complete shift in chakra signatures, Sasukes being accosted then tossed through the wall as if he was as light as a pebble and the wall was paper. He even saw the spinning chakra circulating around Kagomes dojutsu points. But what he didn't expect was for another dojutsu to flare to life in the matter of a few seconds and the black haired woman to crouch down in front of the little civilian as if to protect her.

* * *

"Nee-San" Kagome whimpered in the quiet of the room, "Nee-Chan, it hurts. Onegai. Soreha teishi shite kudasai."

Tama didn't move. She didn't even blink but she did growl under her breath, calming the little miko behind her. It was something she would recognize, having been around Inuyasha for as long as she had. It was home to the priestess. The deep rumbling.

* * *

Sakura watched as the dust cleared and took stock of the situation. Sasuke might be injured, Kagome looked to be in pain and the dark woman was trying to protect her from the aforementioned Anbu agent. Said man had already gotten back to his feet so no harm done. His sharingan was active but not spinning as if to attack. Actually the look on his face was sorrow and disbelief. Taking a closer look she realized why.

* * *

Two sets of eyes watched him, one hiding behind the other, both weary of his next move. And he had no clue what to do. He had known about the blond but this girls dojutsu was something the made him stop and loose all brain function. There standing in front of the blonde wielder of a brand new Byakugan was a very angry and very protective set of stage two Sharingan eyes.

* * *

"Sharingan? Byakugan?" Sakura whispered, "Chiyo? Amaya?" She asked slowly approaching the two girls. This caused them both to focus on her but that didn't mean they let Sasuke out of their sight. "Is that you?"

The supposedly mute girl snorted before she relaxed her stance and crossed her arms as streaks or red crept into her hair and her eyes faded back to their normal state. Only this time thy weren't the familiar dark blue grey of the Uchiha clan. They were steely grey.

"You got us confused with someone else lady." She snapped. "She's Kagome. Higurashi Kagome, daughter of Naomi and sister of Souta." Her thumb jerked in the now calm and lavender eyed blond. "And I'm Tama. Tama Black or Burakku Tama in your language I guess. Daughter of Iris."

"Sakura-sama." Came kagomes voice from behind the other girl. "I just want to leave. I am just a civilian."

"Since I've seen fr myself that the patient seems to be whole and hardy we will be heading out to konoha in the morning." Sakura said motioning for Sasuke, Naji and the now Present TenTen to follow her and leave the girls be.

* * *

Chapter is now revised and has been added to. Review please. I feel like no one likes this story.

Ja~

Ashe


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